Established in 1938 on the then brand new North Circular Road surrounding London the Ace Cafe was a service area. As well as petrol it also had what is believed to be the first automatic car wash in the UK.
With its proximity to Britain’s fast arterial road network, and being open 24 hours, the Ace Cafe soon attracted motorcyclists too. In the 50s and 60s it was at the centre of the 'Rockers", "Ton Up" motorcycle era.